Avid announces Pro Tools 9, more creative, flexible options for music and sound production

Avid has announced Pro Tools 9, a groundbreaking evolution of the industry’s most popular music creation and audio production solution.

Leveraging a next-generation architecture, version 9 of Pro Tools offers customers the unprecedented choice to work with Avid audio interfaces, third-party audio interfaces, or no hardware at all when using the built-in audio capabilities of a Mac or PC. This first-ever software-only option for Pro Tools delivers customers the most open, flexible and feature rich version in history, while also providing top professional features customers have requested. Also, new support for the Avid EUCON™ open Ethernet protocol now enables customers to expand control surface options to include Avid’s Artist Series and Pro Series audio consoles and controllers (formerly known as Euphonix® consoles and controllers).

Pro Tools customers—from the aspiring enthusiast to the professional—can now create sophisticated, great sounding mixes, whether they’re at home, on the road, or working in a large facility using an open, flexible workflow for enhanced collaboration and creativity.

Open, flexible workflows to work the way you want

Customers can design their workflow of choice using the new Pro Tools software-only configuration with their favorite Avid or third-party audio interface—or standalone—and with Avid Artist and Pro Series controllers. The benefits to users include:

Versatile workflow design options—Enables customers to work the way they want using Pro Tools as a software only tool, or with hardware options that include either a variety of Avid audio interfaces for an Avid-advantaged workflow, or third-party audio interfaces as a result of new Core Audio and ASIO driver support.

EUCON support—Delivers more hands-on mixing options to customers using the new Pro Tools software offering or Pro Tools|HD systems with the ability to deeply control Pro Tools through EUCON integration using any Artist Series or Pro Series audio controller or console, in addition to Avid and third-party audio control surfaces.

More creative options with coveted, professional features now included as standard

As a result of customer requests, many high value features formerly available as add-ons are now available right out-of-the-box, including:

Automatic Delay Compensation—Equips customers using version 9 of Pro Tools with the ability to create better sounding mixes faster. Users can now mix and record with increased alignment and phase accuracy, without the need to manually compensate for latencies from hardware I/Os, internal and external routing, and plug-in algorithm processing—the number one request on the Pro Tools IdeaScale User Forum.

More audio tracks and busses—Allows customers to create more elaborate music and audio productions, with support for 96 mono or stereo voices in the new software-only version of Pro Tools (192 voices with Pro Tools HD systems), 256 internal busses, and 160 aux tracks.

Advanced production toolset—Gives customers access to standard professional tools in version 9 of Pro Tools to create more polished mixes out-of-the-box. Users can analyze and adjust timing across multiple tracks for tighter rhythm with the built-in multi-track Beat Detective™ module, improve organization and asset sharing with the DigiBase™ Pro file management tool, and save time with full Import Session Data dialog.

Collaborate with other audio and video software users more easily than ever

A series of audio for picture enhancements provides customers with the ability to easily collaborate with other audio and video software users, including:

Version 9 of the new Pro Tools and Pro Tools HD software will be available worldwide on November 12, 2010 starting at $599 USD. For regions outside of the U.S., please see your local retailer for pricing.

In one respect, I’m floored, because they’re opening up the app to other hardware not just their own. On the other hand, there’s not much to get excited about because this is protools, as in 10 years behind the competition protools.

Their market must have tanked for them to open up protools, and no surprise there as the pro version was outrageously expensive and the LE version was a joke with 48 track limit, etc, crippleware. Protools just doesn’t compare feature wise to any decent DAW, ahem VST ahem, and midi has always sucked too.

I think this is too little too late. Sonar kicks their butts, and what I really want is the new Sonar X1, not protools.

And while they’re at it, digidesign/avid should stop selling that USB v1.1 mbox, that’s windows95 technology.

Producer

Wow! I think unlocking Pro Tools 9 to third party hardware is a great move